Week 51

Can you believe that it has been almost a year since the groundbreaking?  What amazing progress has occurred in the past 51 weeks!  The temple structure is 95% complete and the remaining work will not be visible to us, but how thrilling it will be to see the completed temple during the open house!

These workers are sealing the joints in the exterior panels

Workers have been insulating the temple (on the inside)

 

More joint sealing

 

Steel studs for the interior walls

Close up of the joint sealing material

 

 

I believe that this crane (on the right) will be used to hoist the Moroni statue to the East steeple

More tensioning cables for the North parking structure

This is the entrance to the South parking structure

Symbol of Our Faith

A reader sent a link to a great article about the "Symbol of Our Faith" by President Hinckley.  Here is an excerpt.  It is very good.  Please take the time to read the entire article.

I responded: “I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian colleagues who use the cross on the steeples of their cathedrals and at the altars of their chapels, who wear it on their vestments, and imprint it on their books and other literature. But for us, the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the Living Christ.”

He then asked: “If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?”

I replied that the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.

I hope he did not feel that I was smug or self-righteous in my response. Our position at first glance may seem a contradiction of our profession that Jesus Christ is the key figure of our faith. The official name of the Church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We worship Him as Lord and Savior. The Bible is our scripture. We believe that the prophets of the Old Testament who foretold the coming of the Messiah spoke under divine inspiration. We glory in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John setting forth the events of the birth, ministry, death, and Resurrection of the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. Like Paul of old, we are “not ashamed of the gospel of [Jesus] Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). And like Peter, we affirm that Jesus Christ is the only name “given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Sidney, Nebraska

On my recent road trip, I had an opportunity to attend church in Sidney, Nebraska, a small town in the western half of the state and home to a Cabellas store (you guys would know that).

My dad and I were talking to a member of the ward, who happened to also be in the stake presidency.  He told us some geographical facts about the ward and stake:  the ward boundaries cover 5,000 square miles! (not a typo - 5,000 square miles - 50 miles by 100 miles); the stake center is in Cheyenne, nearly 120 miles away; some ward members are 200 miles apart!  and the ward is in the Denver, Colorado temple district, 169 miles away.

We told him that in Brigham City, the ward areas are more like 5 to 10 square blocks.  I suppose they have to make some accommodations for the auxiliary meetings, like mutual, etc.  I also wonder it they greet each other with just a little more enthusiasm than we sometimes might?

And in Brigham City, there is a temple within walking distance!  Where much is given, much is expected. 

Week 50

The exterior of the temple is nearly complete.  The oversized Link Belt crane is gone, since the gold covered, fiberglass Moroni to be installed next week doesn't weigh anywhere near what the concrete panels did.

I am still waiting to see what will cover the roof.  The red waterproof membrane will be under whatever it is.

The south parking structure is nearly complete

Waterproof membrane for the roof

Now, the work will be mostly inside.  This company was spraying insulation on the interior of the ceiling.

Concrete columns for the North parking structure

Notice the snow on the hills above Perry - photo taken on July 5th!

I couldn't have asked for a better sky for a picture!

More tensioning cables on the South parking structure

West Steeple & Week 49

I was on a trip and am just getting caught up now with the blog.  On the 29 of June, the west steeple was installed.  Here is a picture of it on the night before the installation.

This is what them temple looked like before:

And here are photos after it was in place.

 

 

Attachment details before the architectural trim is installed

A sea of green rebar ready to be covered with concrete for the parking structure